Monday, May 3, 2010

Bunting YES, Flycatcher NO, Jaegers, Snipe, &c.

[This breeding plumage Common Loon flew over the meadows parking lot for this morning's walk. It has been alleged that the way loons hold their feet in flight (vertical versus horizontal) can be used to tell Common from Red-throated - this one seems to be a hybrid, if so. . . click to enlarge photos.]

The Painted Bunting continues at Gail Dwyer's feeder in Avalon (see below for address and info), but there is no further word on the Fork-tailed Flycatcher, other than Mike Wolfe's note that only he and Jamie Glydon, both familiar with the species, saw the bird and were camera-less at the time. They will be sending a report to the NJBRC.

The Cape May County Airport's "scraggly-looking" young White-faced Ibis was not there when I drove by about 10:00 a.m. this morning, though there was a nice selection of shorebirds and Glossy Ibis. The Tabernacle Road pond had less action but nice views of Wilson's Snipe.

Dave Lord reports Kentucky Warbler was at the triangle near Sunset Bridge in Belleplain this morning, a FOS I believe.

More field trip reports, including this morning's meadows walk, are now posted. Note that the male Harlequin Duck continues near Two-mile Landing, that might be a boat-only bird. Note also the cool stuff from Turkey Point, e.g. display-calling Virginia Rail and many Whip-poor-wills and a Chuck-wills-widow.

The best part of my day was first thing this morning, when Dave La Puma and I watched 4 adult Parasitic Jaegers (3 light, 1 dark) absolutely hammering Forster's Terns out in the rips, as viewed from the Coral Avenue dune crossover in Cape May Point, sometimes not all that far out. Least Terns are in, with a few there and on the meadows walk, and also a very few Common Terns. Solitary Sandpipers have been anything but lately, with as many as 15 at the Shunpike Road pond on Cape Island, and smaller numbers elsewhere.

[These Wilson's Snipe plopped down in front of me at the Tabernacle Road pond/flooded field this morning.]

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